How to Dodge a Question
May. 28th, 2021 02:57 amAt Thursday’s USPTO Toastmasters meeting, conducted remotely, I was Table Topics master, posing questions to people who gave short speeches. I prepared six prompts, and ranked them from hardest (1) to easiest (6). I didn’t expect people to be able to answer the hardest two, but they would be an exercise in how to talk about something when unable to give a straight answer.
Mr. M—, who chose (1), handled it cleverly. The assignment was, “Compare and contrast these two centuries-old works which arguably qualify as novels: the Genji Monogatari and the Laxdolla Saga.” He regretted that he had not been able to hear my question because of all the noisy cicadas outside his home, and proceeded with something else.
Mr. M—, who chose (1), handled it cleverly. The assignment was, “Compare and contrast these two centuries-old works which arguably qualify as novels: the Genji Monogatari and the Laxdolla Saga.” He regretted that he had not been able to hear my question because of all the noisy cicadas outside his home, and proceeded with something else.